418 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
hardy, rarely sits; has a round and prominent breast, and is consequently a good table fowl. As 
an exhibition variety it is inferior, and only occasionally takes prizes in the “Any Variety” class. 
The breed is really one, but of various colours ; the name Gueldres being applied to that of a 
cuckoo o.r Dominique marking, while another variety, all black, is termed Breda. White fowls 
are also, but rarely, seen, which are probably sports from the black, and are also called Bredas. 
The general shape is Polish, but the crest, though just perceptible, is only so, being nearly absent ; 
whai. there is of it is the same colour as the body-feathers. The greatest peculiarity is however in 
the comb, which is absent altogether, only a depression in the red skin being visible, just over the 
cavernous nostrils, which thus become peculiarly conspicuous, and show, in spite of the deficient 
crest, the close relationship to the Polish family. Fig. 92, copied from M. Jacques’ drawing in Le 
Ponlailler , shows these points and the entire head of the Breda cock with great fidelity, and will 
spare the necessity for further description. The shanks are (rather scantily) feathered, the birds 
being, in addition, vulture-hocked. 
In America this breed is more extensively kept and widely known than in England, and, we 
have some reason to think, may have entered into the composition of some of Brother Jonathan’s 
new creations. We can thoroughly recommend it as a good and useful fowl, but have not seen a 
good specimen now for some years ; in fact, not since the dissolution of the National Poultry Com- 
pany, with whose last manager the Cuckoo or Gueldres variety was rather a favourite. We cannot 
in this case even attempt a Scale of Points, since there is not a sufficiently definite opinion as to 
the characteristics to which the fowl should be bred. We need only add, in addition to the remarks 
already made, and the cut of the head which we have given, that the legs, as in the other varieties, 
should be dark or slaty blue. 
LA BRESSE. — These fowls also were imported largely by the National Poultry Company, 
and are very highly spoken of by M. Lavergne in the paper from which we have already quoted 
at page 93. They appear, however, to have no distinguishing characteristics whatever, but to be 
simply a fine, large, and delicate-fleshed race of barn-door or mongrel fowls formed by judicious 
breeding. Large and fine they certainly are* but they vary in colour, combs, and many other 
points. At our last visit to the Company’s establishment at Bromley, not very long before its final 
winding-up, Mr. Schroder pointed out to us with pride a fine pen of La Bresse fowls, of which we 
took special note on account of all we had heard. We have never but once since seen as good. 
The cock weighed just on ten pounds as he ran in the pen, but we do not remember the weight of 
the hen. The cock exactly resembled a single-combed, red-breasted Dorking, with four toes, and 
* We are aware Mr. Tegetmeier affirms the La Bresse to be “ much smaller ” fowls than the preceding; and in a very 
hostile review of the first edition of “The Practical Poultry Keeper,” in the Field (of the poultry department of which Mr. Teget- 
meier publicly announces that he is editor), it was argued, as proof of our gross “ignorance of French fowls,” that we had termed 
these birds large, whereas they were really “the smallest” of the French breeds. It may therefore be well to point out, in addition 
to the proof afforded by the birds mentioned above, that in both editions of Mr. Tegetmeier’s own “ Poultry Book ” there is printed 
a table of the average weights of chickens of the various breeds, shown at the exhibition of dead poultry at Paris in 1S64, to 
which we have before alluded. These weights, then, are given by Mr. Tegetmeier himself as follows : — 
Unprepared 
• •• 
• •• 
La Bresse 
lb. oz. 
... 6 12 
Houdan. 
lb. oz. 
5 4 
Crevecoeur. 
lb. oz 
... 4 11 
Prepared for the cook ... 
• •• 
• • 
... 5 5s ••• 
4 3 
... 3 *4 
Cooked ... 
• • V 
• •• 
... 3 3 * ••• 
2 i 5 j 
2 123 
Hence it appears that, on an average of five specimens each, the La Bresse were much the heaviest ; and a reference to his own 
figures, which we had not seen when the “Practical Poultry Keeper” was written, might have otherwise directed the charge so 
recklessly brought against that work. From various specimens seen since, we adhere deliberately to our description of these lowls. 
